As he finished speaking, Chen Qing's hands suddenly curled into talons, his expression instantly sharpening. Sensing the shift in Chen Qing's aura, Wang Xihan shook his head. He recognized the technique: Dragon Claw Hand. It was a Low-Level Combat Skill known for its speed, precision, and ruthlessness, but it was incredibly difficult to master. Gritting his teeth, Wang Xihan formed his hands into claws as well, and the two began a rapid exchange of attacks.
They parried and countered, spinning and striking. One fought like a ferocious tiger, while the other moved like a soaring dragon, cunning and sharp. Their battle grew faster and faster. Though they appeared evenly matched, any discerning eye could see that Wang Xihan's stamina was already failing. Fine beads of sweat dotted his forehead. Chen Qing, in contrast, was completely unaffected, his breathing only slightly heavier.
Sure enough, after holding on for only a few more moments, Wang Xihan staggered. Chen Qing immediately seized the opportunity and roared, "Wandering Dragon Tail!"
His sharp fingers raked down Wang Xihan's chest. SHRED! Two long, red gashes appeared. The cuts were deep, and crimson blood quickly stained the front of Wang Xihan's robes.
Wang Xihan let out a muffled groan. Already unsteady from the claw strike, a subsequent kick from Chen Qing sent him sliding right off the stage. Wang Junyao and the other Wang Family disciples rushed forward to support him and led him back to the Wang Family's rest area.
"The winner: Chen Qing!" Elder Yan raised Chen Qing's hand high.
"Chen Qing! Chen Qing! Chen Qing!"
In the square, the Chen Family disciples all erupted in thunderous cheers. The voices of several hundred people were enough to shake the entire plaza. However, in contrast to the celebrating Chen and Li Families, the members of the other families looked exceptionally grim.
Chen Qing's face was flushed with excitement, but after a moment, the color slowly faded. He took a deep breath and remained on the stage. 'I know it,' he thought. 'My name is definitely going to be on the Xuanling Imperial Academy's recruitment list.'
He wasn't wrong. Yan Ruoshui had already written his name in the column for the academy's official students. However, there were five slots on the form. The first was filled with Chen Qing's name. The second was not Wang Xihan, but the young woman in red who had been fighting evasively with Body Techniques—Wang Junyao.
After some consideration, and with a nod from the black-robed elder beside her, Yan Ruoshui wrote down Wang Xihan's name as well. However, she placed it in the section for Special Recruits on Observation.
"Heh heh. Brother Wang, your family's 'genius' isn't all that special, is he?" a mocking voice came from the right of the patriarchs' seating area.
The speaker was none other than the Head of the Li Family, Li Zongtang. Wang Mo's already grim expression darkened further. He frowned and retorted, "What of it? A true man knows when to yield and when to stand firm. A loss is a loss, and a win is a win. Besides, Xi Han lost to Chen Qing, not someone from your Li Family. What do you have to be so smug about? If you've got a problem with it, have your Li Ze fight our Xi Han."
Though irritated by Wang Mo's retort, Li Zongtang had to admit that no one in the Li Family could match Wang Xihan. Still, he had a comeback. "He's my son-in-law! Why can't I say anything? If you're so capable, go find a good son-in-law for your own family."
Wang Mo gave a cold sneer and closed his eyes, saying nothing more. 'The man's already brought his son-in-law into it, what more can I say?' Meanwhile, Mu Gu Tian, sitting between them, wore a worried expression. It wasn't that he wanted to inflate his rivals' egos, but frankly, he had no confidence in his own family's chances.
Mu Chen's gaze, however, wasn't on the stage. It was turned toward the spectator stands, where Yan Ruoshui was looking down, deep in thought. Suddenly, she felt a gaze fall upon her. As a Martial Spirit, her senses were incredibly sharp, and she instantly locked onto Mu Chen. What she saw, however, was a youth with his eyes shut tight. He was ordinary-looking, thin, and small. She had a vague impression of him. After a moment's thought, the image of a boy fleeing in a panic surfaced in her mind.
'It's him?' Yan Ruoshui murmured to herself.
Tang Hao, who was beside her, heard her mutter and asked in confusion, "Ruo Shui, what did you say?"
Yan Ruoshui froze for a second, then said calmly, "Nothing. I was just wondering if we'll see anyone more outstanding."
After speaking, she glanced out of the corner of her eye in that direction, only to find that the thin youth was gone. This time, Yan Ruoshui was truly taken aback. 'Was I imagining it?' she wondered.
Mu Chen was speechless. 'Her senses are so sharp!' he thought. 'I just glanced over casually with my eyes closed, and she still detected me.' He had no choice but to leave his seat for the moment. After leaving, he wasn't sure where to go. Looking around, he saw a figure in white waving at him.
A small smile touched Mu Chen's lips as he started walking down. In the past, he would never have dared to walk so openly in front of so many people. But things were different now. The restoration of his Dantian, the appearance of the Profound Old Ghost, and the Extreme Spirit Pearl had given him immense confidence. With his eyes closed, he navigated the path as if it were second nature, arriving at the Mu Family's rest area. The person who had been waving was none other than Mu Bingling.
Mu Bingling had only turned around by chance when she saw someone stand up in the viewing stands. A curious glance revealed it was Mu Chen, so she waved a greeting. She hadn't expected him to actually come down.
At this, the disciples from the surrounding Wang and Mu Families all stared wide-eyed at the one-armed youth. For a moment, everyone was stunned.
"What does that waste think he's doing?" a Mu Family disciple said in astonishment.
The people beside him all shook their heads in confusion. "No idea."
"What are you doing down here?" The first person to speak upon seeing Mu Chen walk over was not Mu Bingling, but Mu Rongxuan, who was standing beside her.
As for Mu Xiaotian, he merely glanced at Mu Chen before turning his attention back to the stage, his expression unreadable. Mu Chen just smiled slightly. "What's it to you? I didn't come down to see you."
"You..." Mu Rongxuan was so furious his face instantly darkened. 'Has this guy lost his mind today?' he wondered. 'He's never dared to speak to me like this before, and now he's actually talking back?'
Mu Chen didn't even spare a glance for Mu Rongxuan, whose face was as black as the bottom of a pot. Instead, he turned to Mu Bingling and smiled. "Sister, be careful in your match later."
Mu Bingling shook her head. "I'll be fine. But look at you. Why are you still keeping your eyes closed? Aren't you afraid you'll trip and fall?"
"Haha, I told you, it's not a problem. Everything around me is perfectly clear in my mind."
"Hmph... There's no arguing with you. But..." At this, Mu Bingling brought her beautiful face close to Mu Chen's ear and whispered, "You seem... different now."
Mu Chen paused, then a grin spread across his face. "Oh? It's probably because I've gotten more handsome. That's where the confidence comes from."
"Tsk. Since when did you become so vain, you little brat?" Mu Bingling gave a radiant smile that left the surrounding Wang Family disciples completely dumbfounded. Some were even drooling shamelessly onto their robes.
"This is the family competition! Get back to your seat! Haven't you embarrassed the Mu Family enough already?" Mu Rongxuan's face was ashen as he watched the two of them chatting as if no one else existed.
His words immediately drew agreement from many of the onlookers. Just then, however, Mu Xiaotian, who had been looking elsewhere, let out a cold snort. "Enough, Mu Rongxuan!" he barked. "If you have so much extra energy, then get on that stage and defeat Chen Qing. Let the Mu Family hold its head high. If you can't do that, then shut your mouth."
Mu Rongxuan froze. He never expected Mu Xiaotian to speak up for Mu Chen. "Fine," he said coldly. "I will."
At that moment, both Mu Chen and Mu Xiaotian were surprised by Mu Rongxuan's reaction. They both made a mental note of it, realizing that if Mu Rongxuan continued to mature, he would definitely not be someone to be taken lightly.
On the stage, Chen Qing swept his gaze over the crowd below and said in a low voice, "Next."
But after his call, no one responded. This was hardly surprising. After all, even a genius like Wang Xihan had lost. The Li Family had always been allied with the Chen Family, so the next challenger had to come from the Mu Family. But the Mu Family's performance in recent years had been lackluster, always trailing behind the other three great families. Because of this, everyone assumed the final victor would undoubtedly be Chen Qing.
Seeing that no one was coming forward, Elder Yan announced, "If no one else comes up to issue a challenge, I will consider it a forfeit for the other families."
"Wait! I'll go!"
Just when everyone thought no one else would step up, a calm voice rang out. Mu Chen's expression was complicated. He hadn't expected Mu Rongxuan to actually go. Everyone had seen the cautionary tale before them: Chen Qing had single-handedly defeated the Wang Family's challengers, which was more than enough to prove his strength. No one would have criticized the others for not going up. But if they did go up and lose, they would surely be ridiculed.
"If I lose, none of the rest of you are to go up." After leaving them with those words, Mu Rongxuan turned and walked onto the stage.
"Mu Family, Mu Rongxuan," he announced calmly, a sharp, cold glint in his eyes.
"Someone from the Mu Family actually dares to go up?"
"Even Wang Xihan lost. What can this bottom-feeder Mu Family do?"
"Tch. Utterly clueless."
The moment Mu Rongxuan stepped onto the stage, the Li and Chen Family members began to murmur amongst themselves. Chen Wenfu, seated in the patriarchs' area, started laughing. "Truly, a newborn calf doesn't fear the tiger. Your Mu Family really isn't afraid of losing."
Mu Gu Tian's brow furrowed at first. He had initially blamed Mu Rongxuan for being impulsive, but now he suddenly felt his disciple had done the right thing. He smiled and retorted, "You're right, we aren't afraid to lose. A man must have the courage to fight. Even in the face of death, he must not retreat. Unlike some people, who become so reliant on others that they lose the courage to even step into battle."
Mu Gu Tian's words were a thinly veiled jab, quickly shifting the topic to the Li Family. Li Zongtang was furious and about to erupt when Chen Wenfu stopped him. Chen Wenfu chuckled. "Indeed, one must have the courage to fight. I just wonder how long this disciple of yours can last against my grandson. Heh heh. Oh, that's right. I heard the Mu Family also has a cripple. I wonder if he has the courage to fight, too?"
"Haha! Just a piece of trash. If such a disgraceful waste appeared in my family, I'd have thrown him out long ago to save myself the embarrassment," Li Zongtang, sitting to the side, chimed in, not missing a single opportunity to mock Mu Gu Tian.
Mu Gu Tian was about to retort but was pulled back by Wang Mo, who gestured for him to look at the stage.
On the stage, the outcome between the two youths had already been decided. Only a few moments had passed since their exchange began, but the fight was over. Mu Rongxuan was utterly defeated. His body was covered in wounds from the Dragon Claw Hand, and his blue robes were torn to shreds, the tattered cloth hanging off his frame. Lying on the ground, his expression remained indifferent as he struggled to his feet. Chen Qing, on the other hand, was grinning.
"The Mu Family? What's that? Do we even have a family like that in Luofeng City?" Chen Qing sneered.
"Oh, right, I have heard something," Chen Qing continued. "Your family does have one person who's pretty famous in Luofeng City. 'The waste, Mu Chen,' I believe he's called. Right?"
"Hmph." Mu Rongxuan grunted. The pain wracking his body made it difficult to even stand, but he refused to fall.
Chen Qing jeered, "Oh? Still got some backbone, do you?"
As he said this, Chen Qing's expression suddenly changed. He took a single step forward and launched a lightning-fast kick straight at Mu Rongxuan's face. It was easy to imagine that if this kick landed, Mu Rongxuan would be instantly knocked unconscious.